AFC North News and Rumors

For the first time since the Browns returned to Cleveland as an expansion franchise in 1999 the team will be looking for a new place kicker. The candidates include former Houston Texans kicker Shayne Graham and free agent pickup Brandon Bogotay to repla…

Bengals owner Mike Brown got some attention around the NFL this week when he said that he took Aaron Hernandez off the Bengals’ draft board in 2010 because of concerns about Hernandez’s character. It turns out that many years earlier, Brown also took a …

Mark Schlereth: AFC playoff predictions

As part of his ESPN playoff prediction series, NFL analyst Mark Schlereth offers his take on the 2013 fate of the three AFC North teams. While I agree with Schlereth that the Cincinnati Bengals will make the playoffs for the third straight season, I don…

Turnovers were a team problem for Steelers

The focus for the Pittsburgh Steelers' top-ranked defense all offseason has been generating more turnovers. The defense took the ball away 20 times, which was the eighth fewest in the NFL. Turnovers, though, was as much of a problem on offense as on def…

Browns owner Jimmy Haslam currently is dealing with a legal problem and a financial one. But the details regarding the current debt situation involved Haslam’s truck-stop company, Pilot Flying J, remain less than clear. Last week, the Wall Street Journa…

Atkins remains NFL's best unknown star

CINCINNATI -- Anonymity for Geno Atkins, one of the top defensive players in the league, has gotten to the point where he not only accepts it, he makes a game out of it. When Atkins walks through airports in the offseason, people recognize he's a footba…

During this week’s visit to London, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said that he wants to finish his career with more Super Bowl rings than the four won by former Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw. It won’t be easy for Roethlisberger to win th…

In the one-liners last month, we linked to a story about what the Browns were trying to do to cut down on the amount of passes that quarterback Brandon Weeden had knocked down at the line as a rookie. There was talk of more five-to-seven step drops with…

Wake-up: Big Ben and Haley's 'relationship'

Even though it's a holiday week, the AFC North blog will still post its weekly column later this morning and hold its chat this afternoon. Here's your wake-up call ... RAVENS: Former offensive coordinator Cam Cameron told The Baltimore Sun that the Rave…

Giovani Bernard could see time as receiver for Bengals

The Cincinnati Bengals had their choice of any running back in the draft when they selected North Carolina running back Giovani Bernard in the second round in April. The Bengals are hoping Bernard’s skills give them a more dynamic threat at the running …

Inside the Huddle with John Clayton

Jul 3

John Clayton goes deep on all four downs: John dissects the enormous hands of Seattle QB Russell Wilson, how tough it is to survive as a fullback, and the drop-off in points for the Patriots with Gronkowski on the sideline and Hernandez incarcerated.

Sports Columnists

Clayton: Ravens travel new post-title road

Jul 3

It's unusual for a Super Bowl champion to retool its roster, but the Ravens' strategy makes sense in this era, writes John Clayton.

NFL - For Denver Broncos, it's Super Bowl or bust

Jul 3

After last year's disappointment, it's Super Bowl or bust for the Broncos in Peyton Manning's second season, writes Jeffri Chadiha.